7.0

• User-Defined Emulation (Page 72)
• Use the Data Selector (Page 75)
• Associate Sample Data File(s) with a Document (Page 0)
• Stabilize Your Data (Page 79)
• Set Up a Database Emulation (Page 80)
• Create a User-Defined Emulation (Page 82)
7.4.4 Stabilize Your Data
Stabilizing data is the process of defining the size of the data page and where the first data page occurs in the
data stream. A stable data page is critical to obtain accurate results, however, this procedure does not apply
to you if you are using either a database or an XML emulation or an XML emulation.
Before you can stabilize your data, you must select the emulation you intend to use for the document and
associate a sample data file with the document.
When you stabilize your data, you also need to consider the internal structure of each data page. The internal
structure of each data page must also be stable to make the data selections you use in your document
reliable. Ideally, a given piece of data occupies the same position across all data pages, or provides some
stable characteristic that makes it possible to locate it on every data page.
To format XML data in the PlanetPress Design environment:
1. Choose Tools | Open Active Data.
2. In the Emulation field, select XML.
3. In the XML Emulation option delimiters select:
Root Element (Entire File): Select this option to associate all data in the XML data file with a single
data page.
Second Element: Select this option to associate supplements in the XML data file with separate data
pages. This option is similar to forcing one record per data page where each record is a supplement in
the XML data file.
4. In the Sample data file field, click the folder icon to select an XML data file.
To stabilize your data:
1. Choose Tools | Open Active Data.
2. If the Configuration area of the Data Selector is hidden, click the Data Options tab in the Data Selector
to display it.
3. Verify the sample data file that appears in the Sample data file box is the one you want to use with the
document. If not, open the appropriate sample data file.
4. Verify the emulation selected in the Emulation box is the one you want to use with the document. If not,
select the appropriate emulation.
5. Define the offset for the first data page in the data stream as necessary. PlanetPress Design dynamically
adjusts the contents of the Data Pane of the Data Selector to reflect the changes you make.
Add/remove characters: Enter the number of characters to add to, or remove from, the head of the
data stream, or use the spin buttons to increment or decrement the value. Positive values add
characters while negative values remove characters. Further note that if you remove characters in a
CSV emulation, you should ensure that you do not inadvertently remove field or text delimiters.
Add/remove lines: Enter the number of lines to add to, or remove from, the head of the data stream,
or use the spin buttons to increment or decrement the value. Positive values add lines while negative
values remove lines.
6. Adjust the size of the data page, the number of data pages in the data page buffer, and whether or not
to start a new page if the document encounters a form feed character as necessary. PlanetPress Design
dynamically adjusts the contents of the Data Pane of the Data Selector to reflect the changes you make.
Lines per page: Enter the number of lines each data page contains, or use the spin buttons to
increment or decrement the value. Note that increasing the value for this setting increases the amount
of RAM used by the application and may exceed the system’s capacity. Since the Show used cells option
also uses up some RAM, consider removing this option (see Use the Data Selector (Page 75)) to reduce
system load.
Selecting an Emulation - Detailed Directions
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